Analysis of Song Lyrics
When the days are cold
And the cards all fold
And the saints we see
Are all made of gold
​
When your dreams all fail
And the ones we hail
Are the worst of all
And the blood’s run stale
​
I want to hide the truth
I want to shelter you
But with the beast inside
There’s nowhere we can hide
No matter what we breed
We still are made of greed
This is my kingdom come
This is my kingdom come
When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide
Don’t get too close
It’s dark inside
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide
This first paragraph suggests that the artist is lost and alone as everything's not going his way conveyed by the line 'the days are cold'. Additionally, the artist refers to the saints as 'gold', depersonalising them making them an anomalous object. Furthermore, due to this being the first verse, it provides the emotions and the dark atmosphere for the rest of the song.
This verse continues the feel of the opening verse through the artists depressing persona suggested by his 'dreams all fail' insinuating he has no future to look for. Additionally, the artist conveys that the people with the most influence are negative through the lyrics, 'And the ones we hail, are the worst of all'. Lastly, the artist also states 'the blood's run stale' conveying that all life has disappeared from around him and everything has gone.
The third verse provides more context to why the artist is feeling alone and depressed, involving another person suggested through the word 'you', referring to someone he cares about. The artist declares that he 'wants to shelter you' suggesting he wants to protect the other person involved from his pain. Furthermore, he also states 'there's nowhere we can hide' referring to the demons, suggesting that the beast is too difficult to contain and that the truth is too difficult to escape from.
This verse refers to the whole of humanity where the lyrics states, 'No matter what we breed, we are made of greed' insinuating that as a race, we're never content with what we've got and each person has a sense of greed. This references to earlier in the song portraying that the demons are a consequence of greed. Lastly, the artist repeats the phrase 'This is my kingdom come' which refer to a section in the bible, 'Thy Kingdom come' which refers to a new beginning, a necessary course for the artist to take.
In addition, in this verse the word 'heat' references the anger that's built up within the inside of the artist as he's trying to hold back the secrets. Hence why the lyrics say 'look into my eyes' as your eyes allow people to see your true emotions from within you, exposing where the 'demons hide'.
In the last verse the artist reveals the actual secrets inside him allowing him to stop him hiding who he actually is after he's finally been warn down from the guilt he felt. The artist then requests them not to 'get too close, it's dark inside' to further protect them from the truth.
Imagine Dragons- Demons